NSK hosts meeting of partners on Erasmus+ project OPEN
From 14 to 16 September 2026, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) hosted the second transnational meeting of partners on Opportunities for People Through Equity and Networking (OPEN), an Erasmus+ project in which NSK collaborates with the national libraries of Bulgaria, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden, as well as the meeting of the Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) Network Group of the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL).
The get-together was attended by Rosemarie van der Veen-Oei and Susannah Bain from the National Library of the Netherlands, which coordinates the project, Kalina Yordanova Ivanova and Bojidara Ivanova Ilieva from the National Library of Bulgaria, Florian Forestier and Hélène Berges from the National Library of France, Mojca Rupar-Korošec from the National and University Library, Slovenia, Alison Stevenson from the National Library of Scotland, Eoin McCarney from the National Library of Ireland and by the members of the NSK staff Dunja Marija Gabriel, Jagoda Ille, Jelena Šančić, Sonja Pigac and Petra Pancirov.
Titti Matsson and Hanna Eriksson Gylje from the National Library of Sweden and Catherine Lombarts, another representative of the Dutch national library, joined the meeting via a video link.
Apart from discussions and analyses, the programme gave the participants the opportunity to learn more about NSK’s history, work and services as well as about Zagreb, Croatia’s capital, whose heritage they were presented with as part of a guided tour.
Diversity, inclusion, equity and equality – central to contemporary heritage institutions
The programme participants were welcomed to NSK by the Library’s Director General Dr Ivanka Stričević, who emphasised that issues related to diversity, inclusion, equity and equality are at the core of the policies of contemporary heritage institutions.
Committed to promoting and supporting democratic principles and personal freedoms, they strive to bring every aspect of their work in line with these values.
The OPEN project – for more inclusive libraries in Europe
Having started on 1 October 2025 and running until 30 September 2028, the OPEN project is co-funded by the European Union as part of the Erasmus+ programme. It promotes equity, equality, diversity and inclusion (EEDI) across European libraries through the development of inclusive library collections, raising cultural awareness and strengthening community cohesion by reaching out in their programmes and services to underserved social groups.
Advocating the application of the principles of equity, equality, diversity and inclusion across the library sector, it also focuses on ensuring inclusive metadata on library resources.
Having participated in the project since its planning and application for an Erasmus+ grant, NSK has been tasked with organising and conducting seminars on diversity strategies for library directors and other library policies-focused decisionmakers.
Learn more about NSK’s other international projects and international cooperation initiatives.
Photo: © NSK
